Introduction

The Czech Republic is one of the most well-read countries in the world. It ranks sixth globally, according to the World Culture Score Index, with each adult reading seven and a quarter hours per week, whereas the average American reads less than six hours a week and the average Briton barely five and a quarter hours. This may be due in part to the long-established and deeply embedded Czech tradition of full literacy, with the spotlight on both domestic and foreign literature throughout the educational system. Not surprisingly then, the Czech Republic also has the densest network of public libraries in the world. There are some five public libraries for every 10,000 Czechs, whereas elsewhere in the European Union the average is just over one per 10,000. This highly popular library system has been in operation since the 1920s, surviving two dictatorships more or less intact.